HYDERABAD: Leave alone relocating some Heads of Department (HoDs) to the proposed temporary capital at Mangalagiri by coming June, Andhra Pradesh government’s grandiose plans to shift the seat of power to the new capital city before 2019 may not materialise, if the mood among the State government staff in Hyderabad is any indication.
A majority of the AP government employees’ leaders are said to be unwilling to shift their offices to the AP capital region in the near future.
Interestingly, several of them wonder at the State government’s hurry to shift the seat of power to AP at the earliest when Hyderabad continues to remain the common capital of AP and Telangana States for a period of 10 years. “AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, allows us to use the infrastructure and government buildings in Hyderabad for a period of 10 years. Then, why should we relocate our offices to the new capital by relinquishing our right here?” AP Revenue Services Association president Bopparaju Venkateswarlu was quoted as saying during a meeting organised by Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana to know the objections of the AP government staff to relocate some offices to the new capital region of the State.
According to sources, during the meeting, the general mood among the AP government staff was that they should stay here for the 10-year period as they are likely to lose several benefits on every front if they relocate.
During the meeting, employees’ leaders reportedly expressed their inability to move out of Hyderabad right now as a case is pending in the court with regard to allotment of house sites for them in the city. “Out of enthusiasm, earlier we had said that we were ready to work in the new capital region even under the shade of trees. But, that was a remark made by us out of emotion. The reality is that if we go away from Hyderabad, we are likely to lose on several counts,” a top NGO leader was quoted as saying.